There is nothing more delicious for a restaurant reporter, or any reporter for that matter, than when gossip starts circulating around a specific topic … and then an anonymous source emerges.

Such was the case for me two weeks ago when rumors were flying that two Fan restaurant staples, Cabo's Corner Bistro and Easy Street, were closing for good. Or, more accurately, both restaurants abruptly stopped operating without so much as a word or announcement.

In fact, the closings were so sudden (and so unconfirmed) that one reader emailed me, desperate for information, when no one at Cabo's would get back to him on his planned wedding (three weeks out and long-since booked at Cabo's). 

Well, finally there is confirmation, on Cabo's anyway. After several days a full voicemail box, rotating outgoing messages that claimed brief closings on various days of the week and finally a nonworking phone, there is an update. As of Wednesday, Sept. 24, the outgoing message simply says, "until further notice, Cabo's will be closed for goodness."

Easy Street, however, hasn't been as specific, though the word is that its fate (as are its owners) is the same as Cabo's. Hopefully this is not a sign of things to come, though as one reader commented two weeks ago, "I think we need to be supporting our Fan favorites or we'll see more of this."

Then again, maybe we'll see a few new restaurants emerge in the coming weeks.

Perhaps one of the restaurants with the most fanfare is Gibson's (700 E. Broad St.) at The National. Gibson's, the latest restaurant from Johnny and Katrina Giavos, the couple behind Sidewalk Café, 3 Monkeys, Kitchen 64 and almost every other Richmond restaurant you know and love, was supposed to open on Oct. 1. It seems, though, that it's experiencing the same delays and headaches that almost every other emerging City of Richmond restaurant is (allegedly) suffering …  it's (gasp) the runaround from city inspectors (allegedly) to give it a green light. Still, this downtown restaurant hopes to open in a few weeks.

In other news, Café Rustica (414 E. Main St., (804) 225-8811) has launched a Sunday evening Family-style dinner for only $15 per person. The dinner includes three courses with a monthly rotating menu. There's always a "salad-like appetizer," a dessert and "an unusual bunch of stupid cheap wine deals (Mendocino Merlot for $16, French Lirac for $12)." The first Sunday of each month the entrée is roast chicken, for the second Sunday the entrée is pot roast, followed by Cioppino! (shrimp, scallops, mussels, sausage, fennel/tomato broth) on the third, roasted salmon and a chef's surprise (if there ever is a fifth Sunday of the month).

Café Rustica's Sunday evening Family-style dinner happens ever Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m. And, as owner Andy Howell says, "you can get stuffed and drunk for a mere $32 a couple … honestly." What more could you ask for?

Got some restaurant news you want to 'Dish' out? Send it to karri.peifer@corp.richmond.com. And you can always read the last 'Dish' here.